Art of making imitation reptile leather



H. v. LANGMAID ART OF MAKING IMITATIQN REPTILE LEATHER.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 12, 1932.

Filed Aug. 4, 1930 April 12, 1932. H. v. LANGMAID 1,353,364

ART OF MAKING IMITATION REPTILE LEATHER Filed Aug. 4, 1930 2 She sheet 2 (9' Q Fig.4 /q 3/ u f n A 1 Fig. 5 l w44 A J & Fig- 6- Patented Apr. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES- PATENT. OFFICE HAROLD V. LANGMAID, OF MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ESSEX TAN- NING COMYANY, INC., OF PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE ART OF MAKING IMITATION REPTILE LEATHER Application filed August 4,

My invention relates to the art of making imitation reptilian leather, and it has for its object to provide a new method of producing imitation reptilian leather suitable for use in manufacturing the uppers of boots and shoes,

consisting of a piece of suitable sheet ma terial having one side thereof decorated and finished so as to have approximately the same ornamental appearance as that of an actual tanned reptile skin. L

The skin of a natural reptile such as is used for shoe uppers is comparatively small so that only a few uppers can be produced fromthe same, and in addition there is considerable wastage. It is also a fact that only the back and sides of a natural reptile skin have ornamental markings, or at least the belly portion is plain and not so highly ornamental in its design as the rest of the skin.

My invention has for its object the commercial production of an imitation reptilian leather from pieces of suitable sheet ma terial, preferably tanned calfskins, so that each of the latter, after treatment in accord-v ance with my new method, will have one side thereof ornamentally finished throughout its area with the most desirable portion of the design of a natural reptile skin. Thus throughout the area of one side of my new product are distributed the most desirable and ornamental portions of the design characterizing a natural reptile skin, and therefore an upper cut from any portion of my new product will possess these highly ornamental and characteristic markings of selected portions only of the natural reptile whose skin is imitated. l In the accompanying drawin s:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a portion of a smooth plating press such as may be employed in connection with my new method of producing imitation reptilian leather.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a sheet of heavy paper having a tanned calfskin fastened thereupon by means of cement, or otherwise.

Figure 3 illustrates conventionally and in side elevation the main elements of a lithograph printing press.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views illustrating certain steps in my new method.

1930. Serial No. 472,835.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a composite photographic picture employed in producing the photolithographic stone hereinafter referred to.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the photolithographic stone that is employed in the press illustrated in 'Fig. 3.

Figure 10 is a plan view, enlarged about twice natural size, of a portion of an example of my new product, this example being printed, embossed, and otherwise operated upon, to have the appearance of a natural ring lizard skin after it has been tanned.

Figure 11 is a section on line 1111 of Fig. 10.

Figure 12 is a section on line 1212 of Fig. 10.

- In proceeding in accordance with my invention a tanned calfskin is first smooth plated throughout its extent by simultaneously applying heat and pressure and this operation may be carried out by means of the usual smooth-plating press shown in Fig. 1 wherein 1 represents the base or platen of the press and 2 the movable head, a tanned calfskin 3 being shown as occupying position on the bed 1. It is to be understood, however, that any other suitable sheet material may be employed in lieu of tanned calfskin, but whatever material is used it is desirable and advantageous that its area or size be comparatively large andgreater than that of the skin of an ordi, nary reptile.

After smooth-plating as described, the calfskin is placed upon a sheet of manila paper 4, or the like, as shown in Fig. 2, with its flesh side lowermostand then said skin is pasted to the sheet 4 as indicated by the dotted lines at 5, 5, 5.

The paper sheet 4 with its attached calfskin 3 is then placed on the feed table 6 of a. lithographing press as shown in Fig. 3 with the edge 7, Fig. 2, of sheet 4 in advance to co-operate with the justifying and feeding devices of the press. When the press shown in Fig. 3 operates its grippers engage the forward marginal portion of sheet 4 and carry said sheet with its attached skin around the platen drum 8 as a photoengraved stone 9 passes under the platen roll or drum 8. As

usual the stone 9 is automatically inked preparatory to each printing operation so that as it passes under the platen roll 8, from the position in which it is shown in full lines in Fig. 3, to the position shown by dotted lines, it prints upon the skin the design that has previously been photoengraved upon the top of stone 9. This design may be, for example, such as that shown in Fig. 10 which is repeated throughout the area of the stone as indicated in Fig. 9.

As the sheet 4 with its calfskin 3 leaves the lithographing press shown in Fig. 3 the ink has been deposited upon the top or outer side of the skin 3 as indicated at 10, Fig. 4.

After the printing operation the paper 4 is removed from the calfskin and a prime coating 11, Fig. 5, is sprayed on to the printed side of the calfskin. and includes collodion and its function is to protect the ink 10 against a subsequent lacquer treatment which will presently be referred to.

After application of the coating 11 the calfskin is embossed by means of dies 12 and 13, as shown in Fig. 6, and this embossing gperation is carried out by means of heated ies.

After removal from the dies 12 and 13 a second coating 14 is sprayed on to the skin con-- sisting of a glazing lacquer. The skin is now staked in an ordinary leather staking machine.

After this "staking operation the skin is glazed by means of an ordinary leather glaz ing machine.

Finally, the skin is again smooth-plated by the application of heat and pressure as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The stone 9, Fig. 3, is produced as follows A selected portion of a tanned natural reptile skin having the most attractive markings is photogra-phically etched upon zinc and then this zinc plate is used to print a plurality of separate duplicate sheets or pictures 15, Fig. 8, which are assembled side by side, preferably upon a backing 16, to form a large panel or composite picture made up of a plurality of duplicate units 15.

The composite picture shown in Fig. 8 is then photographically engraved upon the top side of the stone 9 which is then ready for use in the press shown in Fig. 3. The stone 9 is preferably slightly largerin area than the calfskin 3, Fig. 2, and its entire top surface has engraved upon it the figured design olgthe selected portion of the natural reptile s 1n.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the embossed skin is formed with rows of ,bosses 17, the bosses of each row being staggered relatively to the bosses of the two proximate rows at opposite sides thereof as shown in Fig. 10.

Therefore, the surface of the die 12, Fig.

.photogravure upon This coating has a resin base I 6, will be a counterpart of the surface of the natural skin employed in making the prints constituting the composite picture of Fig. 8,

while the surface of the die 13 may be formed with bosses 13a, one for each recess of the die 12.

What I claim is:

1. The method of making tanned imitation reptile skin which consists in first printing a one side of a complete tanned calfskin throughout the area thereof, said photogravure being a composite lithographic copy of the design of natural reptile skin, then applying an ink-protecting prime coating to the printed side of said skin; then embossing said skin by means of dies and the application of heat after said prime coatirg has dried; then applying a coating consisting of a glazing lacquer to said printed side, and then glazing said printed side.

2. The method of making tanned imitation reptile skin which consists in first printing a photogravureupon one side of a complete tanned calfskin throughout the area thereof, said photogravure being a composite lithographic copy of the design of natural reptile skin; then applying an ink-protecting prime coating to the printed side of said skin, said coating having a resin base and including collodion; then embossing said skin by means of dies and the application of heat after said prime coating has dried; then applying a coating consisting of a glazing lacquer to said printed side; then staking said skin after said lacquer coating has dried, and lastly, glliazing the printed and coated-side of said s in.

3. The method of making tanned imitation reptile skin which consists in first fastening a complete smooth plated calfskin to a flexible piece of sheet material; then causing said sheet with the skin fastened to it to be automatically fed through a lithographing press by which a photogravure is printed upon the exposed side of said skin throughout the area thereof, said photogravure being a composite lithographic copy of the design of natural reptile skin; then applying an ink-protecting prime coating to the prlnted side of said skin, said coating having a resin base and including collodion; then embossing said skin by means of dies and the application of heat after said prime coating has dried; then applying a coating consisting of a glazing lacquer to said printed side and then glazing said printed side.

Signed by me at Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, this 25th day of J nly, 1930.

. HAROLD V. LANGMAID. 

